Measure of a Man
by DarkKnight6
Summary: Pre-Season Finale. One-piece. Wendell discovers how Ephram sent Amy back to Colin. PLEASE review.


Author's Note: This story is a little different from what I normally do, but was cathartically written to mirror elements from my own romantic life, or really lack there of ;-)

Setting: Takes place before Season Finale, when Wendell discovers what Ephram did in _Vegetative__State._

**The Measure of a Man**

Wendell snorted root beer in shock. "Wait. Lemme see if I can..." The closest thing Ephram had to a best friend paused to wipe dripping soda from his face. "…figure this out. You. Told. Her. WHAT?"

            Scowling in his usual nature, Ephram Brown handed Wendell a paper napkin. "You heard me."

            "Why the hell did you that? Remember what I told you about free comics and making out with Gwyneth Paltrow? 'Such things are simply not done!'"

            Ephram slipped this month's _Ultimate Spiderman _back into his bag and avoided Wendell's disapproving eyes. "She wouldn't have been able to give up Colin anyway. Besides, he needed her help to get better."

            "Bull." Wendell playfully slapped Ephram across the face with a back issue of the _Avengers. "You should've made a move on her."_

            Ephram rolled his eyes and sighed as the two marched up the stairs to his room "You don't understand."

            "Here's what I understand, Ephram: The girl of your dreams is questioning why she's holding onto her boyfriend, fully aware that she's got a thing for you, and you send her back to coma boy."

            "They say good intentions can justify poor actions."

            Wendell gave Ephram a deathly glance. "Yeah, well they also say the road to hell was paved with good intentions."             

"Go to hell, Wendell."

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Wendell spat out. "All that time you spent on Amy, and you blow your one chance to have her because you wanted to be Mr. Gallant?"

Fury burned in Ephram's eyes like dancing flames of anger. "You think I'm _happy_ about what I did? Do you think I _enjoyed_ letting her go? Do you think I _savored losing the one thing I've wanted since I arrived to this snow globe?"_

            Feeling guilty, Wendell turned away. "Sorry."

            "No, you don't know what 'sorry' is," Ephram shook his head in disgust, sitting on his bed. "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about what I could've had. I wake up every morning and ask myself if there's anything left to look forward to."

            Wendell spun around and faced Ephram. "Then I'll ask again: Why did you do send her back to Colin?"

            Ephram felt his lower lip tremble has he tried to keep his voice from wavering. He kept his eyes concentrated on one of his newer manga posters to avoid losing control. "Later that week, I actually 'bonded' with my dad. Wasn't much, we just played pinball. But if you'd asked me that a year ago?" 

Ephram shook his head and smirked. "I realized three things that night. The first: my decision was never about me. It was never about what would make me happy, or about how much better things would be for me. My decision was about _her_. It was about _her_ being happy; it was about how much better I could make things for _her." _

Wendell nodded lightly, respecting what his friend had said. "Second?"

"Second – I realized that she shouldn't be the only person I cared about in this whole stupid town. I've got a caring dad and a tenacious sister, who, just like me, had also lost everything they held dear. All that time I spent mourning for my mom, all that time I spent sulking in this miserable town, and all that time I focused on Amy…and I'd lost track of the important things.

"Third: I know who I am now. My grandpa told me once that _getting_ what you want is easy; it's _knowing _what you want that makes the man. I wanted Amy, which to a certain extent made me a man. But the _measure_ of man is seen by the decisions he makes in life. I know who I am now, and I know that I could NEVER take a confused coma boy's vulnerable girlfriend – I could never live with myself if that happened. My ex-piano teacher told me that in ten years, I'd have done things I'd never thought possible, and that we'd compare notes when that time came. I didn't want to _compare_ with that bastard. I wanted to be NOTHING like him. So as much as I might regret the decision I made, I wouldn't take it back. Because I _know the kind of person I am now."_

Wendell blinked several times, stunned and in awe. "Look, I'm sorry Eph-"

Ephram waved his hand to stop Wendell. "No, you were right. In the end, it had nothing to do with her not being able to give up on Colin, or Colin needing her in order to get better. Neither of those reasons had anything to do with why I sent her back to Colin. But at least now you know."

Wendell shot Ephram a knowing look before leaving the Brown household. Ephram stood alone for several minutes. _Wow. I really had to get that off of my chest…Ephram laughed at himself. Slowly, he began packing his stuff for the road trip to New York tomorrow morning. And Colin Hart's surgery drew ever-closer. _


End file.
